1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a closing device by means of which to introduce a first component inside a container or flacon comprising a second component, typically a liquid, and a flacon comprising said closing device. In particular the closing device according to the present invention is the type provided with a tank suitable to preserve, in an isolated environment, the first component, generally a substance soluble in the second component, such as a powder, tablet or similar, hygroscopic or water-soluble, to be mixed, dissolved, solubilized or in any case dispersed in the second component in order to prepare a composition to be taken by the user. The closing device also comprises a mobile thruster which opens the tank, freeing the first component into the second component. The closing device, and associated flacon, is typically but not exclusively applied in the field of food supplements, for example vitamins, freeze-dried bacteria with a probiotic and prebiotic effect or other, for domestic use, in the field of sport, in the pharmaceutical sector and in that of medical devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Closing devices for flacons are known, suitable to preserve a first component, for example a hygroscopic powder, and to voluntarily free it into a second component, in which it is soluble or dispersible, contained in the flacon, generally a liquid, usually used to prepare and take compositions, such as food supplements, drugs, medical devices, in the medical and/or sports fields.
Known closing devices provide at least a closing portion or stopper, which is screwed in or coupled under pressure on the neck of the flacon. The stopper is associated with a preservation tank for the first component and also comprises a mobile perforator which allows the user to perforate the tank in through manner and free the first component that falls into the second component, generally dissolving therein for the preparation of the composition to be taken.
An example of a known closing device is described in the international application WO-A-00/53507 (WO'507).
In application WO'507, the user activates the perforator to cut the tank and make the first component pass inside the flacon, where it can mix or disperse in the second component, to prepare the composition to be taken, for example as a food supplement. In the solution described in WO'507, once the composition to be taken has been prepared, the user activates a selective opening mechanism integrated into the stopper, which frees a through drinking path from the flacon through the closing portion, allowing the prepared composition to pass. Therefore, in WO'507, the user does not remove the stopper from the flacon in order to drink the composition prepared, on the contrary, he uses the stopper as a spout through which he drinks the composition. However, this entails a considerable mechanical complication of the solution adopted to produce the stopper, with a consequent increase in production costs.
In application WO'507, the tank containing the first component is a blister or alveolus or capsule consisting of a sheet of aluminum coupled with an external layer of polymer, typically polyethylene, which defines a conformation with a planar wall from which a hollow protuberance extends in which the first component is disposed. The blister normally guarantees the hydraulic seal and therefore the fact that the first component is not subjected to degradation due to humidity.
The blister is disposed with the hollow protuberance facing toward the inside of the flacon and with the planar wall facing upward, glued to an internal annular surface of the closing portion above.
Moreover, the blister is maintained in this position due to the effect of the pinching of a peripheral part thereof between one edge of the neck of the flacon and the internal annular surface itself.
Therefore, in the solution described in WO'507, it is only the closing pressure that determines the hydraulic seal of the flacon, to prevent the second component, typically a liquid, from leaking out.
However, it is not possible to guarantee that the pressure will remain unchanged over time, especially due to possible impacts and/or friction of the device and the flacon against other similar ones, for example during transport or packaging, or due to possible heat dilations of the stopper with respect to the neck of the flacon.
Consequently, known closing devices are not completely reliable as far as the hydraulic seal of the flacon is concerned.
Another disadvantage of known devices is that, to prevent the mobile perforator from being actuated accidentally, a safety element is provided, made separately, and assembled in snap-in fashion on an external segment of the mobile perforator, so as to make the latter substantially a complete whole with the stopper.
In this solution, since it is necessary to guarantee a certain solidity of the snap-in coupling, the safety element is difficult to remove, particularly by elderly or ill people who may be users of this type of devices.
Furthermore, the fact that the safety element is made separately entails an increase in the production costs.
Purpose of the present invention is to obtain a closing device containing a first component for a flacon containing a second component, which is simple and economical to make and which allows to overcome the above disadvantages of known devices.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.